YRC Terminal - Opprotunity in loss?

beer city · PostMar 12, 2013#12013-03-12T18:34+00:00

Could be a huge opprotuniy - the YRC site in Kosciusko just east of Soulard could be shutting down, while this would result in the loss of 128 jobs, the opprotunity it brings could be much greater.

The site is huge, about 20 acres+/- and could be a great chance to bring in jobs, retail or even mixed use.

Whatever happens there I just hope we get more than the 8 jobs per acre that YRC was providing.

Thus the problem when try to attract industry and distribution - the great amount of space required for the very low return on jobs - when your city is only 61 sq miles you need to squeeze the most out of every foot

main area bounded by 7th on the west, Barton on the north, 2nd on the east, and Sidney on the south, includes areas north and south of the main area

http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/ ... 4ce96.html

jakektu · PostMar 12, 2013#22013-03-12T18:44+00:00

In addition, I noticed recently on the satellite images that there is a huge area northwest of the site you referred to above, that is cleared. Further investigation is that it is an old Solutia site being environmentally cleaned up. A lot of potential land in Kosciusko. Rams stadium? MLS stadium?

onecity · PostMar 12, 2013#32013-03-12T19:02+00:00

While the industrial riverfront is important to STL's economy, would it not be nice to actively promote the relocation of a lot of what's in Kosciusko and Chouteau's landing to north of downtown, so as to reclaim a gigantic swath of riverfront and use it to grow Soulard east as well as socially reconnect more of the city to the river, as well as bringing more business density to north? It would be super sweet if all that asphalt and ugly one-story warehouses east of Broadway could be replaced with the other half of the neighborhood that should be there. An eastern extension of Soulard exempt from historical preservation and open to brand new Architecture, but still dense. A deluxe river parkway running up the Mississippi into downtown and Memorial Boulevard...

jakektu · PostMar 12, 2013#42013-03-12T19:16+00:00

^agree

Sadly reminds me how poorly the Arch grounds socially connect the city to the river and how the City Arch River plans fall short.

roger wyoming II · PostMar 12, 2013#52013-03-12T19:39+00:00

Actually I think this will only be a reduction in jobs at the StL operations and not a complete abandonment, but I do agree that it would be nice if there could be better consolidation of our reduced riverfront industries to particular areas and redevelop suitable sites for other uses. There is a lot of vacant land scattered that in the current state isn't going to see commercial or residential use.

One crazy idea I have is to relocate Saint Louis Community College somewhere along the riverfront, thus bringing in more people downtown and in turn allowing the current site to be redeveloped into a dense, tall mixed use community.

ealfotd · PostMar 12, 2013#62013-03-12T19:43+00:00

onecity wrote:An eastern extension of Soulard exempt from historical preservation and open to brand new Architecture, but still dense.

We could call it Newlard.

beer city · PostMar 12, 2013#72013-03-12T22:02+00:00

roger wyoming II wrote:Actually I think this will only be a reduction in jobs at the StL operations and not a complete abandonment, but I do agree that it would be nice if there could be better consolidation of our reduced riverfront industries to particular areas and redevelop suitable sites for other uses. There is a lot of vacant land scattered that in the current state isn't going to see commercial or residential use.

One crazy idea I have is to relocate Saint Louis Community College somewhere along the riverfront, thus bringing in more people downtown and in turn allowing the current site to be redeveloped into a dense, tall mixed use community.

It looks like you are correct, still - takes up lots of land - very few jobs - not a winning combination

graysun64 · PostMar 13, 2013#82013-03-13T00:09+00:00

I never like the idea of large truck yards in the middle of a city.

stlhistory · PostMar 13, 2013#92013-03-13T01:12+00:00

onecity wrote:While the industrial riverfront is important to STL's economy, would it not be nice to actively promote the relocation of a lot of what's in Kosciusko and Chouteau's landing to north of downtown, so as to reclaim a gigantic swath of riverfront and use it to grow Soulard east as well as socially reconnect more of the city to the river, as well as bringing more business density to north?

As interesting a proposition as a riverfront Soulard would be, I have to say that part of the difficulty in developing farther east are the two railroad yards at Dorcas and at Russell, and that some of the industry in Kosciusko is there because it's relatively cheap land (e.g. the portable toilet storage facility adjacent to YRC at 2nd and Victor). Until land values in Soulard rise so much that people want to push into Kosciusko with new construction (versus doing rehabs in Gravois Park or Benton Park West), it just doesn't seem likely.

Picture of portable toilet facility: http://goo.gl/maps/La2LY

Alex Ihnen · PostMar 13, 2013#102013-03-13T03:26+00:00

^ It is a demand issue, but it's a zoning issue too. That first block should be mixed-use, residential and commercial, not industrial and parking. The city could do a lot to get this going.